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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
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Comments
Tony
I'm pretty sure Lexus will give the ES a power boost in a few years. I would wait if I could, but I need a new car sooner than that. So that's that.
We like our cars to craddle us when moving down the road, and that is what these cars do. We also have an 01 S2000, which crunches our urge for sport driving, so we expect pampering from both of these cars, and thats exactly what we get.
or is this true? Kelley Blue Book lists several options which are avialable either with a package or individually??
mrzinj-there is no price value of the joy this car is giving you--congrats--you will love the car
all-again the only restriction kelly blue book site tells is that you cannot get avs unless you order BOTH nav and ML
Thanks a lot, LEXUS forever
I have 1400 miles on my new ES, and I'm still loving it. I still don't have a good sense of where the front bumper is, due to the sloped nose. The parking garage at my office gives me a tight space between a Ford Exhibition (er, uh, Expedition)and a Lincoln LS. It's a little scary nosing the ES into the space, not knowing when I'll hit the wall. So I bought a carpet remnant which is the color of the cement garage wall, and will glue it to the wall at bumper level, just in case.
I got a little discount on my auto insurance because the ES has etched glass windows. These are numbered to discourage theft.
I put a coat of Zaino polishing compound on it tonight, and the black paint looks deep and wet. Glad I found out about Zaino. It's a non-wax coating designed for show cars. I like it.
Still getting all kinds of stares, esp. from other Lexus owners. Today the owner of a beautiful black '02 GS430 stopped dead in his tracks to let me cruise by. He and his passengers were animatedly pointing and commenting on my ES. Bet he wishes he waited and spent less money on an ES...
I'm getting a lot of bang for my buck with this car. Not sorry at all that I bought an early one for retail.
I'm going to talk to the dealer about swapping the alloys for a set of 16" GS chromies. That will complete the look I'm going for.
I've owned two great Infinitis, one of which I still own with 140K miles. It's still going strong. I like the ES so much more than the I35 I was looking at. The distinctive look, massive interior and trunk space, and the overall luxury of the ES sold me.
Cordially,
RNBESQUIRE
Thanks in advance.
For everyone out there, I saw a guy getting out of a new Alabaster ES on Saturday and went up to ask him about his car. He only had it for three days but said he loved everything about the car and the dealer. His previous car was a one-year old Jaguar S-Type which was totaled as a result of some flooding due to heavy rains a few weeks ago. The guy said he feels the new ES is so much of a better car than his Jag, which cost $20,000 more than the ES. He said the Jag always had problems. Also, he did go look at a BMW too. But the dealer was so arrogant he walked out. It's the guys first Lexus but the dealer treatment, exceptional quality and the luxury of the car itself definitely played a part in his purchase decision.
One other note: The Chicago Tribune's auto writer on Sunday reviewed the new ES. This guy is usually pretty tough but he liked the car. His only real criticism is the price of a fully-loaded car.
Plusses he cites:
1. The car is so distanced from the Camry that it now comes across as a smaller version of the LS 430.
2. The engine is listed a s a plus also. The writer calls it an "alert V6 with good mileage rating." Nowhere in the article does he mention a lack of power.
Acura TL -- 5793
ES 300 -- 5726
Mercedes C-Class -- 5391
Infiniti I35 -- 3732
Besides that, the Infiniti has the highest reliability. Does that mean I should buy the Infiniti because it's the most reliable or the Acura because it sells the best?
I guess if you own the company, the sales figures mean something.
I remember way back in 1987. I bought an Acura Legend that impressed everybody else but me. I was influenced by its sales figures and what everybody was saying about the Legend. I won't make that mistake again.
Well, it didn't. The best test of a stereo system's clarity (which is almost synonymous with quality) is how discernible low-level detail is at low volume. If you need to keep cranking up the volume to hear music clearly, the system is bad. Another criterion is the "brightness" of high-frequency sound -- if your ears start hurting after listening to music at half-decent volume, then the tweeters sound bright (those with Bose stereos know exactly what I am talking about). This makes you want to turn the volume down (and why women tend to do it much more often than men -- they hear high frequencies better), but of course if clarity is bad, then you lose detail. Unfortunately both of those "features" are present in my ML...
Another problem (though I am hoping that I just have a defective unit) is lack of low bass. I put in a test CD this morning, and a 100 Hz test tone was barely noticeable, whereas the 50 Hz signal could not be heard at all. That is terrible !
Also at a certain frequency the sound from the tweeters "breaks up" -- I am not sure if it's related to the crossover or to the native resonating frequency of the tweeter, but in either case it's bad design.
And I haven't even mentioned a couple of annoying buzzes and rattles in doors that detract from listening.
Do other people with the ML have had similar experiences ? If yes, then maybe we can get Harman International (which owns ML) to do something about it...
Oh, and I love virtually everything else about the car (engine could be peppier and transmission could shift a bit quicker but these are minor quibbles for me -- much less important than the stereo!
It's just for informational purposes and that's all. Nothing else.
Would one of you new 2002 ES300 owners give me a few words on this?? Is the new car any larger, either actually or apparently?? I'm returning the 1999 car in two months and am begining to think about a replacement.
Thanks
Bill, Ft Lauderdale
But quite honestly, the ES300 is no Acura RL. Yes, it is newer in design and styling, less expensive by $5k but falls far short in quietness of ride, richness of interior and elegance of weight on the road. The stock sound system is weak, no bass, and the door sounds a little tinny when the handle is released and the door is closed. The ES was delivered to me with 38# tire pressure but I dropped it to 29# and it rides much quieter.
I will learn to like the ES300 and there are many great, gee-whiz features such as dual climate control, multi-display modes, auto wipers, etc., but I am a little disappointed in the Lexus at this point and would reconsider the RL with the special lease incentive by Acura. I expected more from the ES.
I leased it at a cap cost of $1300 off MSRP.
As for ML, I haven't listened to it yet. From what I've read, it seems reviewers are dissapointed by the system though. Keep in mind that they are comparing it to the ML system in the much more expensive LS430.
saltysam,
<<Is the new car any larger, either actually or apparently??>>
Yes to both.
lenscap,
Thanks for the figures. I agree that they were just an interesting tidbit and nothing to get riled up about. If the ES hadn't sold so well, I could've expected dealers to start discounting the car a lot sooner. Although, this car is already getting quite heavily discounted in southern California.
But keep in mind most people only cross-shop the ES and RL because the RL is discounted so much. I've heard of people getting discounts of $10,000.
The RL was really Acura's V6-powered answer to the LS 400. The car still stickers for around $44,000 and therefore on paper competes more with the GS 300.
The ES is a direct competitor in every way with the TL. And the prices are not that different. A loaded TL Type-S is about $34,000, while a comparably equipped ES is only a few thousand more (not adding equipment the TL does not offer).
In any event, I do hope you enjoy your new car. And I do like the RL. It is unfortunate that the car never enjoyed the success Acura had hoped for.
Can someone please point me to these reviews of the ML in ES ? And other than 7 speakers instead of 9 (because in LS rear passengers get a separate tweeter) and less power (which in itself does not degrade sound quality unless music with a lot of bass is played at high volumes), what are the differences between the ML in the ES and in more expensive Lexi ?
To Lenscap: I agree, the ES300 is not the direct competitor of the Acura.....except in price. The lease cost of the 2002 RL for me was going to be $30/month more than the ES300. That's not much, and that is due to the discount and subsidy that Honda puts on the Acura lease.
The ES300 is a nice car which I will enjoy but it does not blow my socks off, even at the price.
http://www.exoticwooddash.com/lexus.htm
Thanks.
the car has landed at the dealership and I hve to pick it up on Monday--gosh! this is the first time I am waiting for Monday to come and the weekend to pass quickly
will let you all know more when I pick it up--my wife is already jealous that I am paying the car more attention--even sleep talking about it
comments please
As far as comparing audio systems from my experiences with the Nak. in the RX. the sound quality of the same systems in different cars (ML in LS compared w/ ML in ES) depends greatly on the design of the interior. Also, if anyone has info regarding if Levenson actually designed this system or Lexus simply paid a fee to use the name. It seems to me that the only differences in audio systems in mass produced vehicles is the increased audio level at which one can listen (clearer @ higher levels in Optional audio system)
1. I agree that the window switch panels should have wood around them.
2. Directly across from the top of the center console ashtray, there is a seem where the dashboard leather meets the leather side pieces from the middle console. The previous generation ES had the same arrangement except that it was up higher. Anyway, The previous generation had a problem with alignment between these 2 pieces. Many people complained about it and I personally saw it on dozens of cars I looked at. WELL, I noticed similar problems with the 3 2002 ES300's I have looked at so far. They are not off alot but the center console is so clean and perfect that this slight imperfection really detracts from it IMHO. Since Lexus knew about the problem in the previous car, I would have thought they could have done something differently. On my '99, I was told that it was because the upper dash and lower console pieces were made of different materials so it was hard to get them to line up exactly. The LS and the GS use a different arrangement where I believe there is some overhang to eliminate this. Maybe they could have put a thin chrome filler strip between the 2 pieces. Am I being too picky or does this bother anyone else or am I just seeing early production hickups?
The engine and transmission are very smooth and reasonably powerful. The transmission is especially smooth and quiet when accelerating through lower gears.
Road noise is too great and and the doors are too metallic sounding when the door handles are opened and released. The car seems light in weight on the road. I expected the Lexus to be quieter and more substantial.
I am satisfied with the HID headlights and wood steering wheel option.
Coming from an Acura RL I believe the two cars are priced about right. The RL nets at $39k without Nav and is worth it. The ES300 was $34k with $1293 off MSRP and is worth the savings.
I can tell you that my friend in California just got a new ES for $2600 off list. If you're in one of the competitive areas for car dealerships, don't settle for anything less than $2000 off list! And brush up on your negotiating technique before you head over to the dealer.
A sunroof is not nearly as critical. many do not like them.
INKY